MILWAUKEE — Cody Bellinger batted more times than any Dodger in 2018, yet he watched the first half of Game 2 of the National League Championship Series from the dugout.

By now the Dodgers know not to rest their ambitions on performance in the distant past. Bellinger was 0 for 4 with two strikeouts in Game 1 Friday, and 0 for 15 this postseason prior to Saturday. A ground-ball single in July was Bellinger’s only career hit against the Milwaukee Brewers’ Game 2 starter, Wade Miley. That wasn’t enough to keep Dave Roberts from putting Chris Taylor, Matt Kemp and Yasiel Puig in his outfield.

Besides that, Roberts said in the hours before Game 2, Bellinger’s frustration in the batter’s box was beginning to show.

“There is a frustration where he wants to see results, and all players do,” Roberts said of Bellinger. “But I encourage him, even today, that where he’s at mechanically, I encourage him mentally to stay there in a positive way because he’s going to get some big hits for us.”

That prediction came true in a hurry.

Bellinger entered Game 2 as a defensive replacement in center field in the bottom of the fifth inning. After Max Muncy walked and Manny Machado singled to lead off the seventh inning, Bellinger drove in the Dodgers’ first run of the game with a single of his own. It was his first postseason hit since Game 5 of last year’s World Series.

The hard-hit laser, through the Brewers’ shift into right field, proved to be the knockout blow for Brewers right-hander Corbin Burnes.

“I think there’s always pressure in the playoffs to perform,” Bellinger said, “and obviously when you’re not performing it’s tough. But (Friday) I felt as good as I have in a long time. No results. I felt good in L.A. and Atlanta and no results.

“It’s frustrating, but at the same time, I’ve got the support of the teammates that told me to keep going that have been there, that have struggled. And that kind of helps me understand that it’s a hard game. And I know that, but it’s hard to snap out of it sometimes. But I felt good yesterday and it was nice to get a hit today.”

The Dodgers continued to rally against right-hander Jeremy Jeffress, plating another run to pull within 3-2. The inning ended when Yasmani Grandal grounded into a double play, stranding Bellinger 90 feet from home plate.

Bellinger was the latest Dodger to thwart a narrative that fomented in the days leading up to the NLCS: that the Brewers’ bullpen was the biggest obstacle standing in the Dodgers’ path to victory. So far, the Dodgers’ bench has had the upper hand in that matchup. Eight of the Dodgers’ nine runs in NLCS have scored in the seventh inning or later.

Even though Miley was still on the mound when he replaced the right-handed hitting Kemp with the left-handed hitting Bellinger, Roberts liked the advantage that Bellinger presented.

For one thing, he knew that left-handed reliever Josh Hader was unavailable to pitch in Game 2. Brewers manager Craig Counsell was likely to replace Miley with a right-handed reliever.

For another, Bellinger is an above-average outfielder. Kemp is not. Getting the start in left field, Kemp misplayed a ground ball that caromed off a guard rail in foul territory in the third inning, allowing Miley to cruise into second base with a double.

“After (Kemp’s) second at-bat, now you have two innings of defense in a tight ballgame,” Roberts said. “So to sandwich Cody, a left-handed hitter, around two right-handed hitters (Machado and Kiké Hernandez) – and you upgrade your defense – and again you don’t have to worry about Hader coming in.”

Milwaukee led 3-2 with two outs in the seventh inning when Ryan Braun hit a fly ball to the right-center field gap. Bellinger went into a slide to haul in the catch 354 feet from home plate.

That set the stage for Justin Turner’s go-ahead two-run home run in the eighth inning against Jeffress, which proved to be the game-winning hit in the Dodgers’ 4-3 victory.